The uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) has scrapped plans for a rally to launch its local government election manifesto, with concerns over its financial health and the continued absence of leader Jacob Zuma looming over the organisation as it heads into the 4 November elections.

The coming local elections will be the first municipal elections it will contest, and all signs point to considerable potential, particularly in KwaZulu-Natal.

The party announced this week that its Siyathatha rally, scheduled for this Sunday, would no longer take place. Instead, it will distribute its manifesto electronically to members on Thursday and concentrate on campaigning at ward level.

The announcement follows reports of financial difficulties within the party, including concerns about unpaid service providers and its ability to fund election activities.

One unnamed party insider said: “I doubt we will have the manifesto launch we originally planned. We do not have the money.”

Officially, the party is attributing the cancellation of the rally to a need to free up resources for direct engagement with voters in their communities.

Nevertheless, financial issues have been a recurrent point of tension in the MKP. In July, this newspaper reported that Zuma had taken control of the party’s finances after revoking the signing powers of other officials. The party has also faced claims from service providers who say they have not been paid.

All this prompts questions about the party’s existing war chest.

Zuma’s absence presents a separate challenge. The former president, who has been key to the MKP’s appeal, is in hospital. His return to the campaign trail remains uncertain, and it is unclear whether the MKP has the party brand loyalty to make a robust showing without him.

The party has also encountered discontent over its final councillor candidate lists. In this week’s statement, it announced an urgent independent investigation into discrepancies in the lists published by the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). The findings will be submitted to the party presidency, and leaders will meet candidates who believe they were wrongly excluded.

The party said candidates whose names had been omitted or who had been inadvertently excluded would be prioritised for the first available positions, subject to its internal procedures and requirements.

It has meanwhile launched its national Molo Makhelwane campaign, which will continue until midnight on 3 November, the day before the local government poll. Members and candidates have been instructed to visit households, engage churches, and listen to residents’ concerns.

The party has not announced whether the cancelled rally will be rescheduled.